


Chairman of the Joint Chiefs

by westwingfanfictioncentral_archivist



Category: The West Wing
Genre: Character Study
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2001-02-03
Updated: 2001-02-03
Packaged: 2019-05-15 19:08:27
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,458
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14796269
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/westwingfanfictioncentral_archivist/pseuds/westwingfanfictioncentral_archivist
Summary: Different people of the West Wing reflect on their lives so far.





	Chairman of the Joint Chiefs

**Author's Note:**

> A copy of this work was once archived at National Library, a part of the [ West Wing Fanfiction Central](https://fanlore.org/wiki/West_Wing_Fanfiction_Central), a West Wing fanfiction archive. More information about the Open Doors approved archive move can be found in the [announcement post](http://archiveofourown.org/admin_posts/8325).

 

RATING: G  
NOTES: New series. See Part One.  
DISCLAIMER: I do not own the West Wing or any of its related   
characters. Don't sue.   
SUMMARY: Different people of the West Wing reflect on their lives so   
far.

I'm beginning to believe that I have more meetings day by day   
than the President himself. I suppose that comes with the territory   
though. Day in and day out, this is what I do. I wish someone had   
told me this when I enlisted. Never in my life could I have believed   
that I would come this far. I joined just in time for Vietnam and the   
whole time I was there, I felt people's eyes on me, and I wondered if   
I could trust these people with my life.  
Turns out I could.  
Every time I meet with these guys, I feel like they're going to   
tell me to go to the President and announce that we need to declare   
war on some other country. I don't want more young people to go   
through those horrors. I'm a soldier but I am in no hurry to send   
young men and women out on the battlefield. That's my job as chairman   
of the joint the chiefs; don't let war break out again.  
I see that Sam is going after "don't ask, don't tell" again next   
month. I find it interesting that he sent me a note telling me about   
it. Sam Seaborn is an eager young man, kind-hearted too. I hope he   
gets what he wants as far as this goes; I'm not going to do anything   
unless Leo or the President asks me to. I've already done the social   
change. I'd love to help do it again, but my days are full of so much.  
Maybe I'll have my assistant clear that day for me.   
My father once told me that life would never be easy. When I   
joined the Navy, he told me that life had just gotten a hell of a lot   
harder.; he also said that because of the choice I made, he would not   
allow me to fail. I had to stick through the whole thing and never   
give up. It's because of him that I'm here right now. I refused to   
let him down.  
I've fought in three wars and the memories are enough to keep me   
up at night. My wife always asks me how she can help, and I have no   
answer for her. She can't make the blood or the fire go away. The   
only thing that I can do is spend my life trying to make sure that   
war does not break out again; not on my watch.  
I know what I want to do today. I have so many meetings, I don't   
think Ill be able to. I heard that Josh Lyman had a meeting with ATVA   
a while ago. Leo has been taking care of him, but I wonder if I can't   
be of any help. I want to help. When I was shot in Vietnam, I wasn't   
sure I'd ever make it back to the person I was. I was right too.   
Getting shot changes you. Still, I'd like to talk to Josh, maybe   
share with him. Of course he's probably got everyone crawling out of   
the woodwork to "share" with him.  
I think I'll just leave him alone. If someone needs me, they can   
ask for me. If someone asks, I'd be there in a flash.  
I need to spend more time with my family. I need to spend time   
with my grandchildren. I want to spend a day without this uniform on.   
This uniform seems to represent all the time I've spent in bloody   
waters and all the guns I've fired. I want to show up to work in this   
uniform because it represents the things I've done for my country,   
but this weekend, I'm going to take my family to the park or   
something, and I'm going to put this uniform in the closet.   
I'm not consumed by the past. I know a few people who are. My   
life consists of all the memories I have and all the opportunities   
that lie ahead of me. I feel like an old man. I'm surrounded by young   
men and women who take it upon themselves to change the world, people   
like Sam Seaborn, Josh Lyman and CJ Cregg. When I was Josh's age, I   
was in Vietnam  
I wonder if I could have done something different with my life,   
what would have changed?  
Everything.  
I talk about opportunities for the future and then I think about   
the past. I'm an old man. My opportunities for the future live in my   
grandkids. My job is to keep the joint chiefs sane and make sure the   
world keeps turning. That's the President's job too.   
Bartlet and I have more in common than not. Some of my colleagues   
have had the nerve to express to me that they think he's a bad   
military leader. I gave them a few choice words in response. It's one   
thing to join the military in order to fight a war; it's another   
thing entirely to join in order to go looking for wars to fight.   
Cooler heads need to prevail. I'm tired of meetings where people tell   
me where we need to strike.   
I wish my parents could see me now. I remember my mother was   
worried about how I'd fare in the military, how I would be treated. I   
think she was afraid I was going to be killed before I ever shipped   
out. I might have been too, but I didn't let that stop me. I have   
never let fear or anxiety stop me from doing what I believe needs to   
be done. That's another thing my father taught me. My unit was   
disrupted at first, but we ended up tolerating each other and we   
became the best unit in operation.   
We saved each other's lives.   
I made friends those first few years that I still cherish today.   
We became a family and that is something that I will always treasure.   
There's something about being in a military situation with a group of   
people who are sharing your ideals and your experiments that brings   
you into a family, no matter what your skin color, no matter what   
your sexual orientation is either. These people are bonding together   
to serve their country and make a difference, and we want to kick   
them out because they lead different lives? They want to be there and   
fight for this country. The way I see it, with all the sexual   
harassment cases in this military, we don't need "don't ask, don't   
tell" or any other kind of policy on gays in the military. Let them   
be and start going after those officers who can't keep their damn   
hands to themselves.   
Maybe I should go to Sam's meeting after all.  
I hope I can get home in time for dinner tonight. The joint   
chiefs are meeting at four. I have to play delegate again. I wish my   
buddies from Vietnam comprised the board instead of some of these   
goons. At least the lot of them have more decency than bloodlust; I   
can deal with these guys. Jack Reed is not too bad and Max gives us a   
lot of political leverage. Suzy Carroll is a good liaison with the   
CIA and the NSA. On the whole, we're a good group. Bartlet has a good   
team working for him in us.  
I think I'll call my wife when I get out of this meeting. We   
should set up a family picnic for this weekend, or something like   
that. It seems like everything I think about anymore is my job. Work   
is not my life. I live for my family and it is because I want to keep   
my family safe that I work so hard. When I joined up, I did so   
because I wanted to take care of my family and I felt that by serving   
and protecting my country, I was also serving and protecting my   
family. I still believe that today.   
My wife understands. I think they all do. My grandson wants to   
join the navy someday. He can't now because he's only ten, but I've   
assured him that he'll get there someday. His parents buy him ship   
models and he has one of my purple hearts on display in his bedroom;   
he's quite proud of it.  
It's almost unbelievable the things we survive. Me, my family, my   
friends, entire countries, Leo McGarry and Josh Lyman, Jed   
Bartlet... Leo and I survived Vietnam together; Josh and Bartlet   
survived an act of extreme racism and violence together. We have all   
survived.   
Beat that with a stick.

****************

  


End file.
